Don’t you love spring? I love the feeling of blossom in the air and I have wonderful news to share! I opened my own interior design studio. Since I live in Israel, that’s where I’ll be working, however, you are all welcome to visit my very new website www.karenb.co.il

This is such a wonderful,Â thoughÂ nerve breaking, time in my life. I wouldÂ appreciateÂ your thoughts and comments now more than ever!

Life in the digital world is getting easier in almost every aspect of life. It’s getting hard to think about a world without emails, Facebook, blogs, Apps and well,Â basicallyÂ the internet. In this digital world there are many websites and applications that are trying to help us deal with theÂ elusiveÂ task of gifting, not to mention blogs such as this one. Here are three examples for such wonderful sites which hold a promise for an easier givingÂ experience.

Wantful,Â is a personalized pop-up shop that you create for your recipient. After answering a few questions regarding style, relation to the recipient and your budget, you choose sixteen products which are presented in a cute little gift book. All your recipient needs to do is unwrap it, decide which product they love most, and the product will be sent to them. Wantful is a great website, it is user friendly, well designed and actually fun to use. They really managed to turn the giftingÂ experienceÂ to something you would like to do. If you want toÂ experienceÂ it without actually buying the gift, you can go through the process withoutÂ checkingÂ out. Try it, it’s fun.

Giftly, is an phone app thatÂ allowsÂ you to give experience’s such as a dinner at a restaurant, concert tickets or even a cupcake. I wish I could tell you how and if it works or not, unfortunately, this app isn’t available in Israel so I can’t check it out… But it sounds great! I love the idea of giving an experience rather than a gift. Imagine getting perks fro your friends on your birthday. You could go to different stores andÂ receive fun little gifts, ending the day with dinner and a movie all prepaid by your friends…Â Â I think this is what this app is all about, if it isn’t then that’s a great app idea.

Wishlistr, is a sort of PinterestÂ of gifts. You add links to products you would like to have, and share it with your friends. The idea is really cool, but IÂ wishÂ that the website was more like Pinterest,Â offering a more visual interface. Instead you have titles and links which are not very inspiring and not easy to follow. However, I like the idea of letting people know what you would like toÂ receiveÂ other than have everyone guessing.

Now allÂ that isÂ left for you to do is go online and start giving without leaving your seat…

CachetteÂ is an onlineÂ store that wasÂ introduced to me as a designer store for designed home products.Â However, a quick search through their site and I realized that their mostÂ appealing products are their fine foods, packed in elegant packages. I think that if you choose the right products and pack them in a nice basket, you can make a great house warming gift.

One of the most important things in gift giving is to tap into one’sÂ unfulfilled desires.Â Think about it, usually we don’t like to buy expensive products for our own use. A gift is anÂ opportunity to give someone something they wouldn’t get for themselves. You really can’t go wrong when youÂ buy someone something that would be both needed andÂ appreciated.Â The tricky part about putting together a basket of goods is deciding what to put in it. If you don’t know the likes and dislikes of theÂ recipient, stick to the basics. You should also consider allergies, ideology (vegetarian, vegan, etc) general dislikes and quality. If possible, try and find out which foods are theÂ recipient’sÂ favorites, and more important which are his/her least favorite. This is a veryÂ importantÂ issue that makes the difference between the success orÂ failureÂ of the gift.

Most readers are also bloggers or bloggers to be… As a blogger and a reader, I love finding special blogs… such that you don’t see every day. Since Fathers Day isÂ comingÂ up, I thought it is appropriate to share this blog I found a while ago. Â How to be a DadÂ is a must read for dads… As soon as I found it I forwarded it to my husband… I really enjoy the instructional diagrams such as this one:

I also like reading the “My wife just said….”, “My kid just said…” sections. A true creative and positively funny outlook on fatherhood.

You can even buy products with your favorite image on them…. Are you thinking what I’m thinking??? I know! Great fathers day gift or what???

One of my friends, after reading the post about theÂ Molecular Gastronomy Kit, brought to my attention the followingÂ sentence:

“You have to realize that when it comes to food, I only get excited when it reaches my mouthâ€¦ I donâ€™t care much about what happens to it in theoryÂ untilÂ it reaches itâ€™s temporary residence in my belly”.

She said to me “How could you say such a thing as a vegetarian”??? So I would like to clarify while introducing you to a lovely blog I came across.

WhenÂ I was eight, I came home from school one day and said to my dad “Daddy, I don’t want to eat meat anymore”! My dad who loves to eat, especially meat and was shocked to hear such a statement asked “But why”??? and I answered “Well, The little chick becomes a chicken and then we eat it. How can you such an innocent chick??? Without stuttering my dad replied “You add some oil, salt and pepper”…

Yes I know, he has aÂ weird sense ofÂ humor, and I’m not quite sure he really said that to me, but that’s how he tells the story, so let’s not get fussy about the details…

I won’t lie, growingÂ up, in Israel, as a vegetarian wasÂ challenging. There was no awareness to eating healthy food, people didn’t quite understand it and there were very few veggieburgers available. However, my family was surprisingly supportiveÂ and always made sure that I have a veggie meal, in spiteÂ theÂ beliefÂ that it was just a phase.

Not something to take for granted, so thanks Mom and Dad.

The point is that I am a proud vegetarian since. And although I don’t like to push people into being vegetarians, no more than I liked being pushed into being a vegan or eating healthy, or any other belief for that matter. However, These are myÂ views and I would like to share them with you.

And now, with no further ado, I would like to present to you: Naturally Ella, a wonderful vegetarian blog, filled with healthy recipes… Â Although There are a few chicken recipes, this beautifully designed blog offers healthy choices along beautiful photos. So whether you are a vegetarian or a foodie, I know you willÂ appreciateÂ this lovely blog.

I hope you will all excuse me, I have to send the link to my husband, so he can plan the next meal he’s going to cook for me.

I know I have been falling behind my blogging lately… Usually I post once a week but lately it had become once every one and a half to two weeks. I actually have so many pending posts and some followup posts I still haven’t gotten to, so I really don’t have a good enough excuse… So I hope to catch up a little. Even though I have many pending posts I found thisÂ lovely DIY project by hoot Designs, originally made in Design sponge. Since it is a great idea for new years, I thought I’d share it with you.

The concept is really cool! It’s your basic “Dear journal” for everything that happened on each day and if you keep jotting down highlights of your day throughout the month, byÂ JanuaryÂ 1st you’ll have a great record for the past year. Imagine how wonderful it would be in 2052 to open this box andÂ reminisce. What IÂ especiallyÂ like about this project is that it’s a simple DIY. What I love about Â DIY projects is not only that they are fun to do and make great personal gifts, but also because they really open your mind to new ideas, and you can alter the initial design according to your needs. I like both the hoot designs and design spongeÂ calendars, but if I were to make one myself, I would probably add a little of my own flare into it…

I want to note that this idea can be great for almost any occasion thatÂ involves a Â newÂ beginningÂ or end of a period. using the same concept you can make great gifts such as a Pregnancy journal, a graduation log, a teachersÂ diary…. The sky is the limit.